XJS Coupe V12

[Wray]

Pros and cons? I love the way it looks, wire wheels, gray, a great looking car. Is the V12 going to ruin me?

Thanks,

Wray

 

[Basil]

Pros:
<ul>[*]Great looking "touring" car[*]Very smooth ride[*]Relatively reasonable $$ to purchase[*]Has back seats (for small kids only)[/list]

Cons:
<ul>[*]V-12 can be pricey to maintain (but is available is straight 6)[*]Not a true sports car (inmy opinion)[*]Some of the systems are a bit complex[*]Gas Milage (probably ok with the 6)[/list]

 

[Steve]

I agree with each of Basil's points above. You find a good example of one of these and you will have a gem! Service history is key for these cars, there are enough of them out there for you to be picky.

It is not a sports car, but as a mile-eating grand tourer it's hard to beat!

 

[tony barnhill]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]I love the way it looks, wire wheels, gray, a great looking car. [/QUOTE]

Wray, you said it all....plus, you've got plenty of money & your wife would look good in it!

 

[jessebogan]

Gas mileage need not be bad. In the pre marelli cars, you can get highway miles per gallon into the upper 20's. No kidding. If your right foot is heavy, you can also get single digits. The key to having a V12 is to prevent overheating at all costs. There are several things that contribute to the overheating. The space between the condensor and the radiator gets blocked with debris. This can take out over a third of the cooling capacity. There are lower temp thermostats available from Jag. This helps alot.Fan clutches go bad, and so do the auxilary fan motors. Any reading more than a needle width or two above the N is cause for alarm. Otherwise, it is just normal maintainence and repairs. They are scary to look at for the first time, but they are not that hard to work on. I have had my 89 since new, and have put 155K pretty trouble free miles on it. Nothing, and I mean nothing, beats the V12 for smoothness, and the "wow" factor at a gas station.

 

[equiprx]

You could get a lot more specific information if you identified the year of the car. For my money the difference between pre facelift and after 93 is apples and oranges.
Steve D'Angelo

Pacifica, CA

1950 XK 120, 4.0 liter OTS replica
1994 XJS, 6.0 liter coupe
1994 XJS, 4.0 liter coupe

 

[bmurphy7369]

The pros are obvious and Basil summed them up well. Just to add to the cons list, I would consider the suspension bushings that were factory-fitted. These are usually a source of disappointment and greatly take away from the "sporty feel" of the car, at least as they age and deteriorate (they weren't great when brand new either).
Down the road, if you want a better-handling car, consider replacing them with modern silicone materials for improved handling and the feel of a true sports car.
The rear brakes are expensive, inboard-mounted center, but this is common on Jaguars. If you can do them yourself, not too bad at all on parts prices. If you have a shop do them, sit down for the quote.

Brian

 

[LarryK]

I had a 1986 V-12, ran for 8 years, redid the A/C hoses and put on Konis all around, had to replace the heater core, big job, but not real hard to do. Did a tranny rebuild, took to my local jobber and for $400 rebuilt the GM400 tranny, takes an hour out and an hour in. Traveled to Fla. set cruise at 75 and never touched the pedal (except for in town and etc.) arrived rested and ready to go again. Absolutely one of the best travelling vehicles. Tune-ups are basic and if you can do fluid changes and keep the car clean, you will be awarded with a fabulous ride. A little slow 0-60, but 60-100 is like star wars, zip! Wish I had it back.

 

[scott421]

I can only echo what has been said above . I had a 1975 V12 , which from a standing start wasnt the quickest but when moving and the kickdown came in was very fast . It is not a sports car , it is a long distance high speed cruiser . Fuel - I drive quite hard , the best I got was 11 mpg . If you can do your own work , they are not too expensive to run ( other than fuel) If you are into the early cars with no wood or chrome there were 352 4 speed manual cars built . These are rare but very quick .
I now have a 1994 6 cylinder convertable . There is not much in it performance wise and I get 20 - 25 mpg without trying . The quality between the 2 cars is what you would expect when driving cars built 2 decades apart .That said I am still searching a good early manual .
For sports car fun , I use my TR6 . For a relaxing cruise the XJS .

 

[Michael J.]

What year are we talking?

89 - 92 are the Marelli ignition years. There are a number of things to consider to make sure that you do not have problems with the digital ignition.

92 and newer has outboard rear brakes.

Examine the fuel injection hoses. If they are hard or cracked, that should be the first thing on your list to do"

What temp does the engine run at? if normal temp is at the high side of the N, the radiator may need to be rodded out. Jaguar instructs to add Barrs leak during any coolant change. The sealer build up in the radiator causing hotter temp.

I can't stress enough that you should go to Jag Lovers.org and print out Kirby Palm's book "Help for the XJS Owner". It is an invaluable resource.

 

[tony barnhill]

Hey, Wray - did you buy it?

 

[mdallaire]

Re: 1992 XJS V12 Coupe: still has rear inboard brakes, No Fuel injector hoses to worry about the injectors plug into the fuel rail. Good standard maintance will do you fine but remember owening a V12 jaguar is "advance automobile ownership" you need to find that noise. I have had my 92 for 5 years with its share of gremilns but there is plenty of help out there and many of use have found cheaper parts to swap out, good suppliers and are more than willing to assist. The style of the coupe still draws a crowd and the ohhh and ahhh when you pop the bonnett will make you grin. As far as gas miliage instead of miles per gallon I get smiles per gallon. The price of these Jags are starting to climb and ar fun to drive.

Good luck
Mike